


Gunpowder and Gold

by xanavici



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, M/M, Pirate AU, Rival Captains, mild depictions of violence, not historically accurate at all, yo ho yo ho a pirates life for me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-07-07 04:50:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15901227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xanavici/pseuds/xanavici
Summary: Captain Deadeye of The Blackwatch has been an unrivaled pirate captain for as long as he's held command.  That changes when he meets Captain Shimada of The Seiryū.





	Gunpowder and Gold

**Author's Note:**

> Based on an absolutely gorgeous piece of art by McTiddiezo that I knew I had to write a fic for as soon as I saw it ~~never mind that this fic is seven months late~~
> 
> Check it out [here](https://mctiddiezo.tumblr.com/post/170895647878/ive-been-watching-black-sails-and-uh-couldnt)

Jesse’s heart beats fast and wild.  Every couple of seconds it skips a beat, in time with the canon fire.  His veins buzz with excitement and adrenaline and he knows that as alive as he feels, his crew feels even better.  It’s been weeks since their last raid and they were getting restless. Finding this merchant ship this far off the normal trading routes was a welcome stroke of luck that Jesse wasn’t going to question.  

“Ready, aim… Fire!” His quartermaster, Fareeha, yells out next to him.

The cannons boom, echoing off of the tall mountains of the nearby small island, and hit the merchant ship with the uncanny accuracy that The Blackwatch was known for.  Jesse watches the other ship shutter and list to the side. He sees the crew run around in panic and their quartermaster try to guide this ship to the sholes near the island to give them a better chance at making out alive.  Perfect.

Jesse raises a fist and Fareeha yells out “Ceasefire!”

There’s silence for a second as the crew freezes.  Faintly they can hear the yells of _“abandon ship!”_ from the merchants, carried by breeze.  

“Crew!”  Jesse yells.  “The ship is ours!”

Cries of victory sound out from the entire crew and they immediately get ready to start boarding the other ship.  The sails get drawn, everyone grabs their weapons, and their pilot, Tracer, pulls them around, but as they come up to it the lookout in the crow’s nest yells out the sighting of another ship.

It’s easy to spot with its white sails that almost look gold in the sun, and the brilliant blue body, and how fast it’s moving, straight towards the merchant ship.

“Tracer!”

“Already on it Captain!  You heard him ya wankers, gimme more speed!”

The two ships pull up to the merchant vessel at the same time on opposite sides and neither crew wastes time boarding to meet in the middle.  They meet with steel on steel and gunpowder in the air.

From his place on the quarter deck, Jesse watches some of his crew fall, but also give as good as they get, taking down pirates from the other ship.  He looks carefully, scanning for their captain. The quickest way to end the fight is to take them down and once done, the momentum should easily swing in their favor until they’ve won and down away with those dishonorable thieves. The sharp eyes lead him straight to his target, a man wearing a gold and blue cloak, and a hat to rival his own, standing on the banister of his own ship, staring straight back at him.  Jesse meets his stare and points the tip of his saber at him as a challenge.

They meet on the quarterdeck of the merchant vessel after fighting their way through the battle on the main deck.  They don’t exchange words, those are for amateurs. No, they let the singing steel of their swords do the talking for them as they clash and swipe through the air.  Jesse has to give the man credit, he’s good with that katana of his, maybe even better than him. But then again, swordplay was never his best skill. There’s a reason he’s known to all other as Captain Deadeye.

Finally Jesse sees an opening, the captain leaving his right flank wide open as he goes in for an attack.  He doesn’t hesitate and goes straight for the finishing blow, only to realize his mistake and see the feint when it’s too late.  His saber goes spinning away and he sees a flash of a smile on the captain’s face as he slides in close for the kill. In that split second Jesse realizes this man isn’t probably better than him, he is.

The katana stops right against his neck, biting just enough for Jesse to feel a few drops of blood trickle down from it.

“Call off your men if you want to live,” the captain says in a low tone that leaves no room for argument.

Of course that means Jesse just has to argue with him.

“Hold up there, yer making it sound like you won.”

“I am the only one holding a weapon, and it is currently at your throat.  I would say I have obviously won.”

“Think again.”

Where Jesse lacks in sword fighting he more than makes up for with his pistol, which he digs into the ribs of the captain.  The moment his sword left his hand Jesse reached for the gun tucked under his jacket. Fastest draw in the Americas he used to brag. Still does on occasion, when the situation calls for it.

Jesse watches the captain’s eye widen in realization, then narrow again in resolution.

“I believe this is the time when we call a parley,” he says evenly, and Jesse has to admire his confidence, and his beautiful eyes now that he’s finally close enough to see.

“Agreed.”

They both call for a ceasefire and carefully disengage from each other.  A few minutes later Fareeha joins them followed by another Asian man with a long green headband who goes and stands next to the other captain.  Fareeha wipes some blood off her cheek which thankfully doesn’t look like hers and nods to Jesse. Thank god, if Fareeha died under his command, Jesse knows her mama’s spirit would rise back up out of Davey Jones Locker just to personally drag him back down with her.

“Captain Shimada of the Seiryū and my quartermaster, Genji.”

“Captain Deadeye of the Blackwatch an’ Pharah, my quartermaster,” Jesse says.  He takes off his hat and holds it to his chest as he does a short bow. “Now, what do you want with this ship that _my crew_ captured.”

“Nothing much, just some stolen property that belongs to a close associate of mine.  Let me take it, and me and my men will gladly depart this ship.”

“Stolen?,” Jesse says with an obviously faked tone of confusion.  “But this ship is a fully sanctioned merchant ship of the United Nations Tradin’ Company.”

“Captain you know as well as I do that pirates are not the only thieves on these waters.  You also know that the United Nations Trading Company is not as innocent as it likes to appear.”

“I’ll give ya that one, but I’m gonna need more details on this ‘stolen property’ if I’m gonna let you walk off with it.  What is it?”

Captain Shimada grits his jaw and doesn’t say anything at first.  Then his quartermaster mutters some hushed words in Japanese to him.

“Chinese jade,” he finally says.

Jesse lets out a long, low whistle.  “Chinese jade you say. Incredibly beautiful and twice as hard to get.”

“Yes which is why it shall be returned to her possession immediately, and trust me, if you do not want to make enemies out of her or me.”  His voice turns hard, his expression even harder.

Jesse has to admit, he’s not phased by the threat at all.  He can’t be when he’s be a pirate for this long. If anything, it just pisses him off.  Who does this man think he is? Thinking he can just swoop in after Jesse has already done all the work of tracking it down, and after his crew has done all the work of taking the ship?  

The ship shutters under him, reminding him that this ship is close to going under and that he needs to make a decision quick, but the last thing he wants to do right now is cut a deal.

_“Captain,”_ Fareeha says in arabic.   _“If this ship has stolen jade on it, it might have other stolen goods not reported on the manifest.  Let’s cut our losses and take what we can before this whole thing is a lost cause.”_

Jesse knows what she’s saying makes sense, there’s a reason she’s his second in command.  But still, something about Shimada gets to him, tests his patience and makes him want to get up close and personal with him.

Some wood below them breaks with a loud ‘ _crack’_ and the ship suddenly lists to the side.   

“Alright, ya gotta deal,” Jesse finally aquiesces.  “You get the jade, I get everythin’ else.”

“Pleasure doing business with you captain.”  Shimada wastes no time getting most of his crew off the ship while his quartermaster and a couple others go in search for their goal.  

Fareeha also steps up and gets their crew organized enough to strip the ship in record time and get their injured members back on their vessel for Angela to take care of.  Jesse is the last one to board the Blackwatch and as soon as he steps aboard, the merchant ship gives one last final groan before settling down half submerged on the rocky shoals of her final grave.

Jesse lifts his gaze to the quarterdeck Seiryū and makes eye contact with Captain Shimada one last time.  Smug asshole just tips his hat with a smile as his ship pulls away.

“You made the right choice, brother,” Fareeha says as she walks up next to him.  We’ll get them next time.”

Jesse just nods.  He knows this isn’t the last time they run into the Seiryū.

He’s going to make sure of it.

 

* * *

 

As Lena guides the ship into the large trading port of Fort-de-France on Martinique, Jesse smiles.  So does the rest of the crew honestly. It’s been far too long since the last time they’ve docked, and Jesse feels slightly guilty for that, but he’s sure they’ll forgive him once he sells the supplies they’ve pilfered over the last couple months and gives them their wages.

The crew performs their final jobs perfectly, guiding the ship into the docks and anchoring her without a scratch.  With final instructions to report back tomorrow, they all climb off the ship. From the quarterdeck, Jesse watches them enter the town and enter the shops and bars.  He’ll join them soon enough, once his business with the viscountess is done.

“Jes.”  Fareeha joins him against the railing.

“Hey, I thought you’d left already?”

“I was, but then I was wondering, why this port?”

“Thought it would have better deals,” he replies nonchalantly.

“Our usual traders give us plenty of good deals,” she replies, unconvinced.

“Thought we could use a change in scenery.”

“By going almost a month out of the way to a port we know nothing about?”

“Well, not nothin’.” He turns to Fareeha and adjusts the collar of his coat.  “Now how do I look? I’ve got a noblewoman to meet.”

“Scruffy,” she says deadpan.  Then a moment later, “Wait, a noblewoman?”

“Yup, a french one.”

Fareeha stares hard at Jesse.  “Why are you meeting with a french noblewoman?”

“To trade with her.”

She’s silent for a long moment.  “Why the fuck would a french noblewoman trade with pirates?”

“Because I have it on good authority that she’s done so before, specifically with a certain acquaintance of ours.”

“Are you- you aren’t talking about the Seiryū are you?”

“I sure am.”  Jesse picks up a crate he brought up from the hold and starts walking down the gangplank and dock.  “We were always two steps behind ‘em in the water. But this, this is how we finally get ahead of ‘em.”

“Jesse…” Fareeha takes a long, calming breath to control herself as she follows him.  “I’ll be honest, I like the plan. But I though you had given that up? We chased the ship for months and got nowhere.  The crew almost had a mutiny because of how little money they were making!”

“I know, I know.  But this should make up for that.  The viscountess has many friends with deep pockets.  Just got to convince her to share that wealth with one more pirate.”

“You know what, fine.  When you’re ready to stop thinking with your dick you can find me in the tavern.”

“Hey!  Is that any way to talk to your captain?”

“Nah, but it is how I talk to my brother.”  Fareeha veers off towards the tavern before Jesse can get a retort in.  He just rolls his eyes and continues his way up the hill to the mansion on top.  

He has to admit, Martinique is one of the nicer ports they’ve stopped at, definitely not somewhere frequented by pirates.  Which means he gets more than a few stares as he walks through the streets, but he just answers with a smile and a hat tip and keeps walking.

Finally, he reaches the wrought iron gate that marks the edge of the governor's property and the home of Viscountess LaCroix.  A couple of French military officers run out in their stiff white and blue uniforms demanding to know why he is here. Jesse stifles down a laugh at the second rate rifles they point at him and explains he has a gift for the lady of the house.  They let him through with a bit of reluctance and he finally arrives at the large manor.

Inside, Jesse gets lead to a large study, filled with books, maps, and fancy trinkets from around the world.  He admires them, notes that many look illegally and/or forcibly obtained --like that ruby necklace from India, and they call pirates the worst thieves on the oceans-- and takes a seat in a chair that really should look comfortable but isn’t in the slightest.  Luckily, the lady of the hour arrives fairly quickly and he rises again to meet her.

“Viscountess Lacroix, it’s an honor to meet ya,” he says taking his hat off with a flourish and bowing slightly.

Lady Lacroix ignores him until she takes a seat on the other side of the ornate desk, seemingly unbothered by the hardness of the chair.  Only then does she do a once over of Jesse and finally greets him. “Thank you, mister…?”

“Captain McCree.”  Jesse replaces his hat and takes his seat again, wincing only slightly as he futilely tries to get comfortable.

“What brings you here, captain?” she asks, flat, unemotional.

“Well I’ve heard so much ‘bout the beauty of Martinique that I thought I should finally see it for myself an’ I have to say, the stories really don’t stand up to the real thing.  The island’s also pretty nice.” He flashes the most genuine smile that he can dig up, but Lacroix only raises a single eyebrow.

“Yes, well, ze weather here can be quite amenable most of ze time.  But do you know what I like most about zis island?”

“I do not ma’am.”

“Out here I am not bound by social expectations.  In France a woman of my age and position would be expected to act like any other noblewoman and waste my days sewing, painting, and gossiping.  Out here I do not have to worry about zat. Instead I get to run an entire port city how I see fit. I also do not do not have to waste my time listening to men who attempt to impress and woo me.”

Jesse blinks in surprise at her directness, but recovers quickly.  “Straight to business then? Alright. I have cargo I would like to unload an’ sell an’ I heard you give real nice prices.”

“Captain McCree, as a French colony, Martinique is a part of ze United Nations Trading Company and zerefore strictly forbidden from doing business with pirates.  Knowing zis, tell me why I should even entertain the idea of buying your wares.”

“Well, because I bring ya a gift to hopefully sway yer mind.”  Jesse grabs the crate he brought with him and sets it on the desk.  When he opens it he reveals eleven bottles of french wine, high quality french wine, which finally gets a reaction out of Lady Lacroix.  With desire in her eyes she plucks one bottle out of the crate and inspects it. “I’ve heard that the french very rarely like to part with their exceptional liquor, even to send it down to their own Caribbean colonies.  Which is why I… acquired these last time I dealt with a French trader.”

“Hmmm, acquired.  Interesting choice of words.  And I see one bottle missing.”

“Well I had to make sure I wasn’t givin’ ya shit.”

She scoffs.  “Zere is no such thing as bad french wine.  I appreciate ze gift but I am afraid zis is not enough for me to break the law.”

“Interesting, considerin’ ya’ve already done that once before.  Tell me, does the name The Seiryū ring a bell?”

LaCroix freezes, and slowly puts the bottle down finally giving Jesse her full attention.  She smirks, then laughs. “Someone has done zeir research.” In one smooth motion she gets up and walks over to a cabinet in the corner and pulls out two glasses and a wine opener.  “I like you Captain McCree, so I will make one more exception for you.” She pops out the cork and pours the wine into the two glasses and hands one to Jesse.

“Much obliged ma’am.”  He raises his glass in a toast which Lady LaCroix mirrors before they finally drink.  Damn, that really is some good wine.

“Now, let us discuss business.”

Two hours later Jesse walks out with a smile on his lips and an agreement to sell all his cargo to the viscountess over the following week.  She already has buyers lined up for a good half of his wares and claims she can easily get more for the rest. When he finds the tavern and Fareeha in it he resists saying ‘I told ya so’.  But when he comes back the next night with his first payment which he hands off to Lena to distribute to the crew he makes Fareeha buy him an extra bottle of rum.

For six days the crew unloads cargo and buys supplies during the day, and parties with they generous earnings during the night.  For six days Jesse didn’t think it could get better than this. That is until on their last day in port one of his crew members helping him take the goods up to the Viscountess’s manor stops him right outside of the gate and points down the hill.  Pulling into the docks a beautiful ship flying a very familiar flag emblazoned with twin dragons.

Oh this is going to be good.

Lady LaCroix greets them, not icily, but as warmly as someone like her can.  Jesse shows her the last of his wares, she buys what she can and tells him of a shop back in town that will take the rest.  The crew leave with that stuff and Jesse stays behind to, well… stall. Before he was content with just pulling one over on the man who stole from right underneath him, but as soon as he saw that ship in the harbor he knew that wasn’t going to be enough.  No, he needed to see his face when he knocked him off that mountain that is his ego.

Lady LaCroix definitely catches on to something but tolerates it, probably because she hopes to see some good drama.  Luckily, he doesn’t have to impose on her for long. Yells start floating in from the foyer, heavy stomps ring down the hallway, and the doors of the office are thrown open with the force of a hurricane.

“What is the meaning of this!?” Captain Shimada yells.

Jesse turns around slowly in his seat and tries to keep the smirk off his face.

“Bonjour, chéri.”  LaCroix does not hide her smirk.

“What is _he_ doing here!?”  

“Doing business.”

“With you!?”

“With me.”

Shimada stalks up to her desk and slams his hands down on it.  “I thought we had a deal.”

“We do, but I never said it was exclusive.  Speaking of business, unfortunately I will not be able to trade with you zis month as my accounts are a little dry and will not be replenished until I resell my new acquisitions to my contacts, as you know.”

“And just what am I supposed to do with my cargo then?”

“I know Marigot on Saint Martin is always begging for supplies, you can try zere.”

Shimada looks like he’s about to burst into flames and Jesse really can’t contain his delight anymore.  This has just been too good and completely worth it, which means it’s time for him to make a perfectly timed exit and to seal the coffin.

“I hate to interrupt,” Jesse says as he stands up and smooths out his jacket.  “But I must be going. I instructed my crew to pull out at high noon an’ they will leave without me.”  He walks around the desk and gives LaCroix a kiss on the back of her hand. “Viscountess, it’s been a pleasure meetin’ ya an’ an honor doin’ buisness with ya.”

With one last dazzling smile Jesse stands up and goes to walk out, but stops right next to Shimada.  “Ya shouldn’t have stolen from me, handsome.”

Shimada fumes, the viscountess quietly laughs, and Jesse walks away with the last word and a devious smile.

 

* * *

 

Jesse wouldn’t go as far as saying that they were well and truly fucked, but he would admit that they were on their way there.  In his defense, any ship would be in a two versus one battle. And of all the ships it could be, it had to be two from straight out of his nightmares.

The Blackwatch had been trawling the new UN trade routes, looking for a beautiful, fat, little merchant ship to raid and sink.  They were having fantastic luck, having taken down two already, when the lookout in the crow’s nest sighted yet another ship just over the edge of the horizon.  The crew rejoiced and quickly started preparing for their third fight in as many weeks.

But in the haze of the horizon the one ship split into two.  The Blackwatch still continued forward because even two measly merchant ships were no match for a fully decked out pirate ship.  Jesse ignored the rock that decided to settle in his stomach as everyone else, including his usual voice of reason Fareeha, seemed confident in their odds.

By the time the blood red flags, emblazoned with that winged laughing skull, came into view it was too late to turn away and try to retreat and Jesse had realised his mistake.

The crew fought valiantly, firing cannonballs with expert precision while Lena pulled out fancy maneuvers from behind the wheel.  But supplies are low, and sometimes skill isn’t enough, and sometimes luck isn’t on their side. Lena does her best to try and outrun the Deadlock ships, but torn sails can only do some much in the breeze, and the punctured hull slowing them down can only be fixed so fast especially in open water.

Jesse knew that Deadlock had never truly died twenty years ago, but he believed he could out run them, out sail them.  For twenty years his past had been haunting him, and now it’s finally caught up to him, just in time to collect its dues and make sure his ship goes down with him.

With no other options, nowhere to run, and the two ships approaching on either side, Jesse can finally admit that they are well and truly fucked, and that he should have taken that last good luck drink with the crew right before all of this.

Of course, that’s when the tides decide to change their favor.

So focused on the battle ahead of them, no one, on any of the three ships, notices the arrival of a fourth, or the shot it fires.  No, not until the explosion echoes across the water, bringing an unexpected moment of silence in the confusion, then the sound of splintering wood as a twelve pound ball of iron rips through the deck of the lead Deadlock ship.

The fight erupts  into even more chaos as a volley of cannonballs rain down.  The secondary Deadlock ship peels off to go engage the mystery ship.  The crew of the primary ship turns back to continue their assault on the Blackwatch but find their second wind and reignite their fury to live.  Jesse leads the charge with Fareeha right behind him. They slash, they shoot, they scream and yell and tear through every last Rebel scum. Even their usually passive medic, Mercy, rains hell down with her pistol and staff.  For every Blackwatch pirate that falls, at least two, usually more, Deadlock pirates fall. Jesse’s crew fights for their honor their lives, and only one thing can stop them.

Jesse uses his pistol to blow a hole in the chest of one Deadlocks and runs through two more with his rapier.  In the brief moment of rest he has he runs up to the quarter deck and pulls his spyglass off of his belt. He finds the second battle going on behind them quickly and the sight almost takes him breath away.  The Deadlock ship is splintered and burning, brought down by a ship with a flag he thought he would never see again.

Golden twin dragons on deep blue canvas.

Jesse is forced to look away when he hears running footsteps behind him, footsteps he quickly deals with with a swift slash from his rapier.  He rejoins the fight in front of him to help finish off the rest of the Deadlocks, the last of which is their captain, someone Jesse actually recognizes from when we was still a part of them.  He feels no remorse when he puts a bullet through their head.

The crew revels in their rightly earned victory, yells of celebration replacing yells of fighting.  Jesse joins them for a moment, but soon signals Fareeha to get them back to work. They have to assess damages, take stock, and prepare their dead for burial, and that doesn’t even account for what they might have to do about the other ship left standing.

Jesse though turns his attention back to the Seiryū.  Just because Shimada and his crew helped destroy the Deadlocks doesn’t mean they saved them just to get their own revenge.  His hand flexes on the grip of his pistol and tension runs tight across his shoulders as Captain Shimada pulls his ship alongside the Blackwatch.  

Their eyes meet across the water and everything fades away around them.  Shimada has a spray of blood across his cheek and a scowl on the rest of his face.  Jesse’s sure he doesn’t look much better. He can feel blood from a deep cut on his shoulder soaking his shirt and his hat has disappeared somewhere on the main deck.

After everything that happened today, Jesse doesn’t think he can be surprised anymore.  He though every turn of events that could happen already had, but it turns out Shimada has one more for him.  His scowl turns into a grin and Jesse hears, just barely across the watery gap and whistling winds, Captain Shimada yell one sentence.

“I am the only one allowed to sink your ship, handsome!”

Shimada then raises a hand and his ship turns away and speeds off towards the horizon.  Jesse watches until it looks the size of a small toy, then shakes his head and barks out a laugh.  He thought he had that Captain figured out, all honor and pride, loyal to only those that could benefit him, and definitely not one flirtatious or even friendly bone in his body.

The crew makes the emergency repairs they can and Tracer limps the ship into the nearest port the next evening.  Everyone but the night watch drags their feet down the gangplank and Jesse orders all of them to get some well deserved rest.  They can find some carpenders and seemsters in the morning. A shame there was no way they could make it to their go-to carpenders in Sweden, but Jesse’s sure the Lindholms won’t mind.  At least, that’s what he hopes.

Jesse makes a beeline straight for the tavern.  There he makes himself at home at the bar and orders a shot of rum which he downs quickly.  He orders another one but hesitates for a moment. Before he can over think it he orders one more and sets it off slightly to the side.  With a long exhale he clinks the glasses together and raises his in a toast before finally drinking it.

“To an unlikely ally.”

 

* * *

 

Jesse and his crew are halfway down the South American coast, resupplying in Guyana, when he hears the news.  It’s actually Angela who hears it while getting more medical supplies and relays it to him.

“Heard the Spanish Navy pinched another one of you guys for the UN Trading Company,” a local fisherman says.  “The Ser-u or something like that? Anyways they probably won’t waste much time on the trial so they can get right to the execution you know?  They’ll want to set an example for the rest of you lot.”

Jesse doesn’t believe it at first, a captain like Shimada with a crew like his just doesn’t get arrested.  But too many details are right for it to be anyone else, so when the rest of his crew gets back to the Blackwatch he calls a meeting.

“As some of you may of heard, the Seiryū and it’s crew have been captured.”  There’s a couple murmurs of surprise from the decks and ratlines. “They’re most likely being held on Guadeloupe in the Spaniards favorite prison in Grand Anse.  Now, I know we’ve already been sailing south for weeks, and that we still have more ahead of us, and that turning around would be at least a four day trip to Guadeloupe, but we owe the Seiryū a debt.  They saved our lives all those months ago and we have the chance to pay them back. So that’s why I’m going to ask Fareeha to conduct a vote and it’ll be up to you lot what we do.”

Jesse retires to his quarters and anxiously awaits the results.  If it were up to him this ship would already be pulling out of port and heading to the Spanish colony, but it isn’t, and he can only hope that he has enough sway over his crew.

Five minutes later his door creaks open and Fareeha walks in with an inscrutable expression.

“I still think you’re thinking with your dick, but you also have a valid point, and a majority of the crew agrees with you as well.  We’re sailing north.”

Jesse releases a breath he didn’t even know he was holding with a sigh of relief and a small huff of laughter.  He replaces his hat and walks up to Fareeha with a confident grin. “Then what are we waiting for?”

Lena gets them there in three in a half days, the darkness of the night hiding their arrival just outside of the port and deployment of 4 small skiffs to the beaches.  The city is too heavily fortified to attempt a full frontal assault, especially with the 3 different navy ships floating at the docks, so stealth is their only option.

Jesse leads the charge; his idea, his life on the line.  The soft sand quiets their steps and the half full moon provides plenty of shadows for them to hide in without being completely blind.  And it looks like they got their just in time, a poster in the main square advertises a public hanging of pirates tomorrow morning.

The small group of pirates move through the town quickly, taking narrow alleyways and blending in with citizens still out at this hour when navy officers walk by.  Not a single alarm is raised or a drop of blood spilled as they finally make it to the cobblestone walls of the prison. They wait for the patrolling guard to walk by and his torch light fade before they start climbing and pulling each other up.  Two crew mates stay behind to watch their escape route while the rest head deeper into the prison. Jesse personally knocks out the next guard they see to steal his keys and sort through them as they head for the most heavily fortified cells in the middle of the prison.

It takes them a while --too long Jesse’s instincts scream-- but they finally find the crew of the Seiryū.  A couple are injured, most just look resigned to their fate, though that look quickly changes when they see Jesse melt out of the shadows with the key ring spinning around on his finger.

“Mind telling me where your captain is?” Jesse says quietly to the first person he sees, a surprisingly young looking woman with smeared pink paint on her cheeks.  She rolls her eyes but smiles and points a thumb to the very end of the hallway. He tips his hat to her and walks over to the cell down there.

In it he finds Genji sitting upside-down against the wall, back on the ground, legs on the wall, throwing a small pebble up and catching it over and over.  Next to him sits Captain Shimada, reclined on the bench with his hat covering his face, seemingly asleep.

Jesse leans against the bars and clears his throat.  “Why y'all so glum? It’s like ya think yer gonna die tomorrow or somethin’.”

The pebble falls to the floor.  The hat is slowly pulled down. Shocked eyes dart from Jesse, to the keys, and back to Jesse.

“Now don’t give me that look.  You should know by now that I love messing with yer affairs.”

Shimada barks out a laugh and stands up to saunter over to the bars.  “I shouldn’t be surprised, you always seem to show up at the wrong place at the right time.”

“”I would argue that this is the right place at the right time though, Captain Shimada.”

“Hanzo.  I think you’ve earned the right to call me Hanzo now.”

Jesse’s grin widens into an actual smile and for a second he forgets that they was something else he was supposed to be doing.  That is until Genji reaches over Hanzo’s shoulders and snatches the keys right out of Jesse’s hand.

“Escape now, flirt later,” Genji says as he unlocks the door.

They get the rest of the doors unlocked and retrace their steps back the way they came, eventually making it to the outer walls.  One by one the two crews vault over the side and slide to their freedom. Jesse and Hanzo hop over the cobblestone as the last ones, just in time to avoid the patrol man and break into a sprint towards the docks.  

“My ship is just outside the cove.  We have a couple skiffs on the beaches to get us there,” Jesse huffs out in between deep breaths.

“No need, the Seiryū is in the docks.”

“Wait, what?”  The two captains skid to a stop and dart around a corner as a navy guard crosses the street in front of them.  “Ya mean yer ships not at the bottom of the ocean in a million pieces?” Jesse whispers.

“No.  After they destroyed our rudder and main sail with some very lucky shots they didn’t need to damage it anymore and they planned to turn it into a navy ship.  Some of the guards bragged to us a couple days ago that now that she was repaired she would make a fine addition to their fleet.”

The officer passes and they take off running again.  Sure enough, one of the three ships Jesse saw earlier is actually painted blue, though her flag has been replaced with the white and red motif of Spain.

Jesse sends his crew to the skiffs so they can get the good news back to The Blackwatch while he goes with Hanzo and his crew to make sure they get to the Seiryū.  He would hate to not see his rescue plan through to the very end. Especially when bells start ringing from the prison, altering the whole town to the escape. Lanterns flicker on and yells rise out of the broken stillness of the night.

Genji and the woman with the pink face paint knock out the navy officers guarding the docks before they can fire a single shot or call out while the rest unhitch it and get the ship ready to sail.  From the moment Jesse steps on the quarterdeck with Hanzo, to the moment they clear the docks, he doesn’t breath, only allowing himself to relax when they’re out of range of the officers’ rifles and the fort’s cannons.

The crew of the Seiryū cheers as they pull away and in a surprise twist Hanzo throws an arm around his waist to pull him into an excited hug. When it ends, Jesse doesn’t move away.  He stay chest to chest with Hanzo as the world falls away around them and he gets the first chance to appreciate that he still has this, that Hanzo won’t be hanging from a rope tomorrow, lost to him for forever.

“So,” Jesse murmurs into the space between them.  “I risked life and limb to save ya, does that mean I get some sort of reward?”

“Hmmm,” Hanzo ponders his answer as they sway back and forth with the motion of the waves.  He looks over the railing they watched their escape from and smiles a little dangerous smile, highlighted by the first rays of sunlight.

“Only if you can catch me.”

Before Jesse can blink he’s pulled into a deep kiss, all tongue, passion, and fire.  And before he can really reciprocate he being pushed backwards and over the railing. He hits the water with a large splash and comes up sputtering.  When he finally wipes the salt water out of his eyes he sees Hanzo wink and wave as the Seiryū pulls away.

The cheeky, handsome devil.

A rope almost hits Jesse on the head and he turns around to see The Blackwatch coming up next to him with Fareeha leaning against the railing, he head in her hands.  

By the time his crew pulls him out of the water Jesse is head over heels in love.

It takes Jesse 2 months of sailing, searching, and chasing to catch up to Hanzo.  Two months of following Hanzo’s bread crumbs, having to break off to make some money and keep his crew happy, then finally getting to Hanzo’s last port, only to be there three days too late.

But finally, finally, Jesse pulls into port and sees the Seiryū docked four ships down.  He takes a moment to artfully tousle his hair, adjust the rings on his hands, and straighten his overcoat before stepping off the Blackwatch.  His crew wolf whistles and teases him good naturedly, Fareeha the loudest of them all. He tries to threaten them with more work but the effect is lost due to the smile he can’t get rid of and the fact that they deserve this after the nonstop sailing.

There’s more than a couple taverns lining the streets of this port town, but one of the things Jesse learned during the chase is that Hanzo prefers the bars that have the right balance of quiet atmosphere and good liquor.  So he strolls past the ones right next to the port, ignores the ones that have music streaming out of open windows, and finds the bar that is tucked halfway down a small side street but still illuminated by the expensive oil lamps that are becoming popular on this side of the ocean.

The bartender asks for his pick of poison but Jesse politely waves her away as he scans the seats in the back.  It’s at the very last table tucked into the very back corner that he spots that ridiculous feathered hat (not that he should really be judging) dangling off the back of a chair occupied by the man he’s been looking for.  Jesse runs his hands through his hair one more time before he can stop himself and saunters over there.

“Ahoy there, sailor.  This seat taken?”

“It is reserved for an infuriatingly handsome, yet very slow captain that has been plaguing my thoughts for months.”

Jesse takes that as an invitation and sits down.  Hanzo smirks and takes a drink from the only glass at the table.

“What, no drink for me?”

“Yours was left behind in Tortola.  Like I said, you are too slow.”

“Too slow?  Maybe yer too fast.  I would’ve loved to follow yer siren song every single day but you know as well as I do that ya gotta keep yer crew happy.”

Hanzo looks at him with a calculating look before shrugging and throwing back the rest of his drink.  “I suppose that is an acceptable excuse.”

Jesse would be offended at his blasé response except for the little teasing lilt he picks up in Hanzo’s voice and the small smirk that flashes across his face for a second.  With an exasperated sigh he waves the bartender over and orders two more glasses of whatever Hanzo’s drinking. She comes back with them a couple minutes later and Jesse takes a tentative sip.  It’s good. He’s not sure what it is but its strong, has just a hint of fruit flavoring, and goes down very smooth.

“It really is good to see ya,” Jesse says softly after they’ve both enjoyed a couple sips.

Hanzo pauses at the quiet, honest tone and smiles, actually smiles, this time.  “It is good to see you as well. You look well.”

“Thanks sweetpea, ya look good too.”

“Well I haven’t spent the last three weeks in a prison cell so that helps.”

Jesse’s booming laugh startles everyone in the tavern and they all glare at him until he gets himself back under control.

“So what has the fearsome Captain Shimada been up to since his daring prison break?”

They talk for hours and hours, about past conquests, prefered artillery, annoying siblings, and so much more.  The words flow easily, even more so than the liquor, though they still manage to make it through a whole bottle by the time the barkeep kicks them out so she can close up.  

Out on the street, the cool, salt laden air shocks some sobriety into them and calms them like only the sea can.  What can they say, once you’re a pirate for long enough the saltwater becomes part of your life, your blood. Though Jesse realizes that he really didn’t need the ocean to calm him, he’s felt content all night in the company of Hanzo.  The lamplight dances around on Hanzo’s profile, illuminating his pitch black hair and accentuating his sharp jawline. It’s like a siren song for Jesse and not even the end of the world could make him look away.

With a quick flick of his wrist, Jesse wraps an arm around Hanzo’s waist and pulls him close, until they’re chest to chest and the only place to look is right in the other’s eyes.

“Darlin’, tell me, please, is the chasin’ done?  I think I’d chase ya to the ends of the earth if ya wanted, but I don’t want to be apart from you for that long again.”

Hanzo looks deep into his eyes and brings a hand up to cup the side of Jesse’s face.  “I would say you have more than proven yourself. And I do not think I could wait that long for you to catch up again either.”

Before Jesse can get a word in to defend himself Hanzo surges forward and captures his lips in another kiss.  Jesse catches on quickly and helps it soften up into something into something slow, and sweet, a complete turn around from their first kiss.  They stand there for what feels like ages, exploring each other’s mouths, pushing and pulling back and forth like the tides, until Hanzo finally pulls away breathless and flushed.  

Jesse hasn’t felt this light in years, not since he took over as captain of the Blackwatch and maybe even before that.  If he thought the sight of Hanzo was a siren’s song before, than this right here is the whole goddamn choir.

All too soon Hanzo steps away, but not before leaving Jesse with one last kiss and a crooked smile.  “See you around, pirate,” he says as he starts to walk away.

Jesse gives him a two finger salute and watches him disappear into the night.  When Jesse finally finds the motivation to get back to his own ship it’s with a bounce in his step and a smile he can’t wipe off his face.

 

* * *

 

“So how did a man like you become a pirate?”

“By bein’ a devilishly handsome, no good scoundrel.”

Hanzo laughs and drags himself onto Jesse’s chest.  The sheet covering both of them slides down low but neither of them make any move to fix it, not when they’re comfy and warm from the sun’s mid-morning rays shining through the open window.

“One of those things is true,” Hanzo says before he dips down to mouth along the freshly bruised column of Jesse’s neck.  The retort on Jesse’s tounge dies as his mind goes blank for a second and he revels in the pleasures freely given to him by the man he spent far too long chasing.  But for this moment, and every moment they shared last night, it was worth it.

When Hanzo moves away from his neck to kiss along his freckled shoulders, Jesse finally remember’s the original question.

“Was kidnapped as a young boy to be a powder monkey on one of the Deadlock fleet’s ships.”

“You mean the same Deadlock I had to rescue your ship from?”

“You didn’t rescue me from nothin’.  I had it completely under control!”

“Oh?  So your ship wasn’t about to be overrun and sunk to the bottom of the sea?”

“I- well- Don’t you sass me.”

With a quick twist of his hips, Jesse rolls them over so he’s hoving over Hanzo and shuts him up with a solid kiss on the lips.  The kiss eventually comes to a natural end, but Jesse still hasn’t gotten enough. So he follows a similar trail down Hanzo’s equally bruised neck to his chest and continues his story in between kisses.

“Worked on that ship for years-” _kiss_ “-and damn near got blown up too many times to count,” _kiss_ “until the previous captain of The Blackwatch came around and took it down.” _nibble_ “He must’a saw somethin’ in me he liked ‘cause instead of throwing me in the brig with the rest of the Deadlocks that surrendered, me made me part of his crew.”

“How fortuitous.”  A hand comes up to run through his brown locks which Jesse leans into all too easily as he settles down next to Hanzo on his side.

“Yea, I owe that man my life.  Not for jus’ gettin’ me out’a there, but for teachin’ me what it really meant to be a pirate.  And I mean more than learnin’ the rigs and how to navigate, and how to use a pistol and sword -though that wasn’t either of our fortes.”

“I can tell,” Hanzo says with a teasing smirk.

“What did I say about sass?” Jesse quips right back.  “Anyways, it was more than that. When the Deadlocks first took me, the ocean became an unending prison that kept me from home.  But Gabe showed me the freedom of the ocean, how it had the power to take me anywhere, and give me almost anything I could want. That’s how I became a pirate.”

The hand in Jesse’s hair leaves to drag down his chest and play with the curls there.  Jesse takes to running his hand through the silky black hair spread out on the pillows and tracing the features of Hanzo’s face.  A comfortable silence stretches out, broken up by the sounds people outside in the streets.

“How did you come to captain your ship then?”  Hanzo asks after some time.

Jesse’s smile falls and a small furrow in his brow forms as he remembers.

“I am sorry, I did not mean to upset you.”

“Nah it’s all good, jus’ still hurts some.  ‘Bout five years ago we ran a raid on pirate outpost that only one ship used, The Talon.  They had broken almost every rule in the code and Gabe decided he couldn’t let them get by any longer.  It was going well, we were about to take the whole outpost. Then Talon decided to blow the whole thing up instead of let us have it.  Gabe and half the crew died that day.”

“I am sorry Jesse,” Hanzo says as he cups Jesse’s cheek with his other hand.  Jesse kisses the palm and takes a deep breath before continuing on.

“After the rest of us got away I was voted captain.  I was the most senior member left and I guess they all liked me enough to trust me to lead.  Can’t say I wasn’t happy about that, just wish it happened differently.”

The silence now hangs heavy over them, but Jesse shakes it off and plasters on a grin, determined to not ruin the morning.

“So what ‘bout you sugar.  What’s your story?”

Hanzo sees right through the change in subject but indulges Jesse anyway.  “I come from a very powerful family of pirates, the Shimada Clan.”

“Yea I’ve heard of them.  But I’ve noticed they ain’t so prolific anymore, or that ya don’t sail under their colors.”

“That is because my brother and I abandoned them after burning most of their ships down.”

Jesse’s isle ministrations freeze, and he looks up at Hanzo’s deadpan face.  “Seriously?”

“Yes.  When it came time for me to leave behind my original ship and crew and lead my family, it became apparent that the elders were not happy with they way my brother and I planned on running things.  They demanded we stick to the old ways and even ordered me to kill Genji.”

“God damn,” Jesse says with disbelief.

“Obviously I could not go through with it so Genji and I destroyed the ships, gathered the crew members we trusted, and left the clan to die in the ashes.”

Jesse props himself back up onto his hands and hovers right over Hanzo.  “I should’ve know to expect something amazing like that from you.” He leans down to capture Hanzo’s lips in another kiss, one that’s long, languid, and deep.  When they separate for air Jesse trails kisses and little nips down his chest and stomach, intent on continuing when they started last night.

But right before he reaches his goal there’s a loud banging on the door.

“ _Oh brother!”_ someone says in a singsong voice in Japanese.  By the the way Hanzo groans Jesse guesses it’s the brother.

“ _What?”_ Hanzo yells back.

_“We have business to attend to today.  Or did McCree’s dick addle your brain?”_

Hanzo just groans again.

“Reckon if we ignore him he’ll go away?” Jesse suggests.

“Jesse I know you’re in there too!  Don’t even think about ignoring me!”

It’s Jesse’s turn to groan this time.  Damn it Fareeha.

“Come on, we got shit to do too!”

There’s more banging on the door and Jesse attempts to block it out by pulling the sheet over them.  It doesn’t work.

Hanzo sighs and wriggles his way out from under Jesse.  

“Hannnnnn.”

“Get up, you beautiful scoundrel, it is time for us to return to the real world.”

Hanzo finds his pants and shirt and puts them on but gets stopped by a warm body pressing pressing against his back.

“When will I see ya again?”

“I think we are going to try and hunt the northern routes the make landfall again in Nassau in five weeks.”

“Hmm, that should give me just enough time to run up Central America then swing over to meet you there.”

Hanzo turns around in Jesse’s arms and takes his face in his hand.  “Perfect. I shall look forward to the next time you are in my bed every single day.” He pulls Jesse down into a kiss.  Jesse returns it with enthusiasm, only pulling away when their first mates threaten to break down the door.

“Until the next port Captain Shimada?”

“Until the next port Captain Deadeye.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr [here](https://cryptidhanzoshimada.tumblr.com/)


End file.
